


Blindsided

by headbanging_nightrunner



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Bad Parenting, Blind Character, Blind!Neil AU, Blindness, Bullying, Child Abuse, Depression, Disability, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Suicidal Thoughts, sleeping disorder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-28 06:43:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15043046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headbanging_nightrunner/pseuds/headbanging_nightrunner
Summary: Abram's world goes dark when he's 10 years old. He doesn't understand what's happening or why suddenly, besides losing his sight, he and his mom are suddenly on the run with a target on their backs. Then suddenly, he's Abram Doe, his mother is gone and he's under the care of the foster system without really understanding how he got there.





	1. And then it was dark

**Author's Note:**

> This monster is a little plot bunny that wouldn't let me live, and then when I talked to my_unlikely_hero about it in passing....this happened. Let me know what you think guys and as always, you can rant or send prompts to my tumblr (same user name as here)

Neil furrowed his brow when the light hit his eyes. He tugged the blankets over his head to get a few more minutes of rest, but then he heard his door click opened and listened to his mom’s approaching footsteps. He sighed and removed the covers, moving as fast as he could to look at her.

 

He blinked his eyes a couple of times, trying to adjust to the light as his mother looked down at him.

 

“Good morning, Abram” His mother said coolly, so he had no clue if today would be a terrible day or just a bad one.

 

“Good morning mom” he got up from bed and went to the bathroom to pee and take a shower, and when he came out, his mom was putting his outfit for the day in the bed. They were some of his ‘better’ clothes, which meant a public appearance.

 

That could mean any type of day, depending on Lola and Father’s mood.

 

He dressed quickly and then let his mother comb his unruly hair, she fixed his clothes until he was perfectly presentable and then nodded, taking him by the hand and leading him outside the bedroom.

 

His mom squeezed his hand and looked at him.

 

“Do you know what today is?”

 

Sure, he did, though he didn’t understand what was so special about this date “It’s Saturday?” he said hesitantly, fearing what could happen if that was not the right answer.

 

His mother’s expression didn’t shift as they continued walking “Your father is hosting a party, to celebrate his birthday. A formality, lots of important people from his job will be here, you understand what that means”.

 

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway, just to let her know he understood. Well, that didn’t solve the question of how terrible a day it would be, that all would depend on Lola and Romero. And his father.

 

They arrived at the dining room, where Nathan was sitting; expression blank, with Lola sitting on his left side, Abram’s mom sat at his father’s right side, facing Lola, which left him to sit next to his mother, as far away from father as was possible in this situation, and he felt grateful for it.

Breakfast was served as soon as they were seated, and for a short while not much was said, until his father broke the silence.

 

“You’re late” he growled lowly, looking straight at him.

 

His mom leaned towards his father and bit out an answer.

 

“I overslept” she said, placing the blame on herself “by the time I went to wake him up he was already dressed and I had to send him to change clothes.”

 

Lola snorted derisively “Mommy’s boy through and through. Can’t gut even a rat or apparently get dressed by himself”

 

Abram flinched at the jab. He hated training with Lola, he didn’t care about how many types of blades and cutting tools existed, he didn’t want to learn how to slice at ‘vital spots’ or how to tear into skin. He especially didn’t want to learn how to do by practicing on small animals that had done nothing to him.

 

His mother hissed and sent a poisonous glare Lola’s way. It still amazed him that she didn’t seem to be at all intimidated by father’s right hand woman.

 

“Stick to your butchering, since that’s all your lot is good for, and I’ll take care of _my_ son.”

 

“Which is all a brood mare’s for” Lola cut in, smiling at him with a toothy grin “Don’t you worry junior, we’ll make something useful of you yet”

 

Nathan didn’t seem to be in the mood for either woman’s antagonism so he made a motion for Lola to quiet down and sent a warning glance his mother’s way.

 

“We’ll have some very special guests today” he warned, leaning forward to look straight into his eyes. Both their eyes were the same icy shade of blue, but he hoped nobody would ever feel the same fear he experienced staring at his father’s chilling gaze when they looked into _his_ eyes.

 

“Who’s coming?” His mother asked crisply.

 

“Tetsuji Moriyama, and he’s bringing his nephew Riko and the other kid, something with a K” his father hadn’t stopped looking at him, measuring or searching for something, it made Abram feel nervous, since he didn’t know what to expect.

 

“Maybe you will get along with them. They are as obsessed with that stupid game of yours, if not more.”

 

Abram didn’t think exy was stupid, but now didn’t seem the time to express his opinion on the matter.

 

His parents didn’t talk a lot more after that and once breakfast was done, Neil was taken to his lessons while his mother went off somewhere else, she never told him what she did during her time alone, no matter how much he asked, so he was used to it by now.

 

His ‘classes’ were as dreadful as always, his only respite was that Romero got bored with him very quick when he refused to slice up a bird no matter how many times he told him that ‘it was already dead Nathaniel’, but he got away with it because he was apparently still too young to ‘get the job done’ while keeping his clothes in order, whatever that meant.

He walked around the house looking for his mom, carefully avoiding servants or anyone that seemed even remotely busy, he knew very well how his father would punish him if he was being a bother to anyone.

 

Eventually, his mother found him loitering around in one of the empty halls, nothing seemed to be amiss with her, but Neil could still tell that she was in a bad mood.

 

“The guests are starting to arrive” she said “We have to go greet them along with your father”

Abram sighed, he really didn’t want to have to stand next to his father and smile, standing still and keeping quiet, since ‘children should be seen but not heard” Lola always tried to provoke into moving or making noise, looking forward to the punishment his father would deliver because of the transgression, and he knew this time would be no different.

He and his mother stood to Nathan’s left, His mom standing as a living shield between his father and him, for what felt like hours, guests arrived and shook his parents’ hands, greeting their hosts with cool politeness, some would occasionally look down to where he stood, sending a few fake smiles his way, but the vast majority of adults ignored him, preferring to chatter a few minutes with his parents to then go mingle with the rest of the guests.

 

For a long while, no new guests arrived to their home, and Abram had been relieved to think that the greeting part of the evening was finally over, but then, an older man arrived, he looked asian must have been important, since he had a couple of other people hovering close to him, in a clearly attentive way, just like Lola and Romero always stayed close to his father, always awaiting orders. What surprised Abram the most though, was the two kids standing to each side of him. One must have been related to him somehow, since they shared very similar physical traits, the other boy clearly was not biological family, he was a bit taller with dark hair and distinctive green eyes, they both seemed to notice him at exactly the same time, staring at him intently, but never moving from the older man’s side.

 

“Good evening Nathan, this is a nice little gathering you’re holding” The man’s voice was low and -honestly- a little intimidating, and Abram couldn’t help but think that this man reminded hi somewhat of his father.

 

“Thank you, Tetsuji, I’m at your service” his father smiled and gave a small nod of his head, as a gesture that clearly meant the man was respected, but not quite feared.

 

“You are at Lord Moriyama’s service, but he has implied that you might have something of interest to show me” It was not phrased as a question on the man’s- Tetsuji, Abram reminded himself- part, but his father still answered.

 

“Indeed, I do, but perhaps I should let you enjoy the party a little, before we talk about this?”

Tetsuji nodded and looked down at the two boys, who seemed to be taking in their surrounding with curious but guarded expressions.

 

“Why don’t you two go look around, you can join Nathan’s son” Tetsuji said, finally looking at him “What’s your name boy?”

 

It took a moment for Abram to understand he was being spoken to, and he hesitated “hummm...”

 

“Nathaniel” his father said, clearly irritated “You’ll have to excuse him boys, he’s shy, why don’t you show them around, junior?”

 

His father’s hands dug into his shoulder’s painfully, and Abram feared getting punished for embarrassing father in front of a guest, so he managed not to wince with how painful Nathan’s hands felt on him, he nodded and let himself be forcefully pushed toward the other boys.

 

The green-eyed boy introduced himself first “I’m Kevin Day” he said politely and then looked towards the other boy who didn’t seem interested in getting to know Abram. Kevin bumped his arm gently with his shoulder and the boy grumbled something under his breath.

 

“I’m Riko. Riko Moriyama” the boy was pouting in a sulky way that would have gotten Abram a good beating from his mother for being ‘bratty’, but nobody seemed to care about reprimanding him for it.

 

“We’re wasting time here” he said “we could be playing exy at home”

 

Kevin sighed and nodded “I know, I didn’t want to come either. But Tetsuji said we had to”

 

“Uncle Tetsuji just wanted to punish us for not doing as he said during training” Riko said, glaring at Abram as if he was personally responsible for having to miss practice “That’s why he made us come to some boring party with him”

 

“I like playing Exy too!” Abram said, trying to change the subject and to keep the boys entertained, so that they wouldn’t leave him alone in the crowd. It was rare for him to meet other boys his age, except when his mom took him out to play little-league exy, but he was never allowed to play with those kids.

 

Both Kevin and Riko were looking at him as if he was a dumb kid they were forced to deal with.

 

“We don’t just _like_ Exy” Riko said, jutting his chin out in defiance “We were _born_ to play Exy”

 

Kevin nodded in agreement, but Abram didn’t think that made any sense “No one’s _born_ to do anything” At least, that’s what his mother always told him, after his father’s employees would tell him that he resembled Nathan so much, he must have been born to follow after him.

 

Riko glared at him as if Abram had stolen his favorite dessert or something “ _You_ probably weren’t born for anything special” he hissed, stomping his foot for emphasis “But my uncle and Kevin’s mom invented Exy, and we’ll be the best players ever!”

This time, Kevin chimed in to agree “That’s right you know. We’re the sons of Exy. Riko will be king, and I’ll be his second in command”

More like the second-best player. But Abram didn’t feel like bringing that up and starting another argument with them, he was tired and hungry and didn’t feel like making his father even _more_ angry by picking fights with the nephew and- adopted son? Ward? – of a clearly very important guest, so he just went with the flow.

 

He gave them a short tour around the house and listened to Riko and Kevin complain about how they would rather be anywhere but here, unwilling to hear them whine and pout for much longer, he went for his used training gear and manage to hunt down some brooms and a ball that was the same size as an exy one and they improvised, playing some quick all-against-all matches, and then allowing Kevin and Riko to practice some of the drills they were learning from Tetsuji. By the end of it, Abram was actually having some fun.

 

But like always, good things didn’t last for very long. Eventually one of his father’s men tracked them down and made them go back into the room where the guests had gathered for the whole ‘cutting the cake’ pretense.

 

“Your father has been asking about you” the man said.

 

Abram winced, looking back at his new companions “He told me to keep Riko and Kevin company, and we were bored”

 

“Well, time to stop the silly games and join the party”

 

Abram visibly deflated, Riko mumbled about how it had just started to get interesting, and Kevin merely looked at their improvised exy gear in longing, unwilling to leave it for an adult party and bad cake.

 

Regardless of their objections, they were guided back into the party, where a simple look from Tetsuji stopped Riko from complaining in a show of temper, Kevin merely nodded at his guardian and continued to stand close to his adopted brother, while Abram was led to the center of the room, where his parents stood next to each other.

 

His father gave him a quick sideways look, then turned towards Tetsuji Moriyama, who nodded slightly, making his father sneer before turning away from Abram and back towards his guests, his mother motioned for him to join her and when he was within reach, she held onto him by the shoulders with so much force, Abram had to bite his lip not to cry out, he didn’t understand what was going on between his parents, they were always fighting for one reason or another, but now he was apparently in the middle of it, he had learned that it was never good when he got his father’s attention, but mom always found a way to stir his father’s eye away, he trusted it would be the same this time.

 

The party went on for what felt like eternity, Abram felt sleepy and hungry, since the weird food they served at the fancy parties tasted weird to him and he could never finish it, he just wanted to go to bed and maybe ask his mom to sneak him a snack from the kitchen, but part of the whole “happy family” act was that he had to stay up late and remain close to his parents, pretending it didn’t hurt when Lola pinched his arms or kicked him savagely under the table each time he started to nod off.

 

Thankfully, the guest started to leave a little past midnight, and the party officially came to a close around one in the morning, he was led to his room by a servant because his parents left together to go somewhere else, which he found was really weird, since they could barely stand each other, before going through the door, his mother turned towards him, stone-faced and rigid, and Abram felt that something must be terribly wrong.

 

Later that day, he would find out just how right he was.

 

The maid had helped him to get out of the stiff formal clothes and into his pajamas mechanically, and with the minimum amount of care that her pay required and then she left him alone. He tried to sleep, but it was difficult because of all the emotions he had been through during the day.

 

It had been fun, playing with Riko and Kevin, though he knew they would probably not get along outside of playing exy. The Japanese boy seemed to used to being best and having things always go his way, while Kevin seemed happy to follow orders and stay in Riko’s shadow, despite the fact that it was obvious to Abram that Kevin was a bit better at playing than Riko.

 

He could imagine it, all the times sneaking into little-league exy teams under fake names finally allowing him to join an actual team, becoming a famous college player, then joining a professional team, maybe even making court someday. He would have the means to finally run away from his father and his awful job, and he would be able to take his mom with him, maybe then she would be happy, without the need to always hide her feelings behind a harsh mask.

 

Maybe then she would be able to finally show him some real affection…

He was finally drifting of to sleep, dreaming of an exy game when he finally made court, with his mother seating in the front row through it all with the same blank expression she always wore near him, the buzzer sounded, marking the end of the game, and when the players families were allowed onto court for the final celebration she walked slowly towards him, and he could see the tiniest of hidden smiles curving her lips as she spread her arms the slightest bit for him to run and hug her.

 

“I am proud of you Abram” she said, and then he closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace.

 

‘Abram’

 

‘Abram. Get up. _Now_ ’

 

He’s sluggish and sleepy, so it takes some time before he realizes that it was just a dream. This is his reality, it’s his mother shaking him brusquely until he opens his eyes and stares blearily at her. She looks agitated and there are several small bruises in her face and neck, but she doesn’t seem to notice them as she looks at him.

 

“Come with me” she says, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him out of bed. He looks through the window and notes it’s still dark outside, so he couldn’t have been asleep for too long.

 

“Where are we going?” He asks, confused at how frantic his mother looks, here eyes are wide and she’s twitchy, holding his arm with too much force.

 

“No questions, Abram, this is all for your own good” they walked further and further away from the section of the house that held the bedrooms until they reached the small room where people stored unused or damaged furniture and cleaning supplies, his mom shoved him inside and locked the door behind her.

“What are we doing here?” he asked, uncertain of why they were hiding.

 

His mom turned and looked at him before she replied “We’re making sure your father won’t ever want you again”

 

That confused him, as far as he could tell, his father _didn’t_ want him for anything but the sake of his public image, or to train him into being muscle for whatever awful thing it was that he did for money, but his mom seemed so frantic and paranoid right now, something must have happened.

 

She wandered around the small room and he sat down in a small wooden stool as he waited for whatever his mom was doing, she eventually came back carrying a big gray container similar to a motor oil bottle, but this one said ‘Mr. Plumber Industrial Strength Drain Cleaner’

What did his mom need that for? And why wasn’t she looking at him? All of the secret looks yesterday between her, his father and that man-Tetsuji- and then she slipped into his room at night and brought him here in secret, he was scared and didn’t know what was happening or what that bottle had to do with anything.

 

From a pocket in her jacket, she produced a dropper bottle. She emptied the contents on the floor and put a small amount of the Mr. Plumber in it instead, then she motioned for him to get closer. He shook his head, suddenly scared of the situation.

 

“What’s that for?” he asked in a small voice.

 

His mother glared “Come here Abram, we don’t have time for this”

 

When he still hesitated, his mother glared “Trust me, you will thank me later”

 

He walked toward her as she sat on the floor, motioning for him to sit next to her, when he did, she pulled him down so that his head was on her lap, and she used one hand to keep his head steady.

 

“This is going to hurt” she told him and then used the dropper to pour the whole content of the bottle into both of his eyes.

 

It was agony, it was as if fire had been poured into his eyes, the liquid burned violently and sent deep stabs of pain into his eyes, and as a single drop slid down his cheek, it seared a path along his skin, he couldn’t help it, he screamed and thrashed until his mom had to restrain him with one hand, while she used her other to cover his mouth, whispering angrily into his ear.

 

“Be quiet, Abram, if we’re discovered they will try and save your eyes”

 

In the haze of pain, he asked himself why that was a bad thing? What had he done to make his mother this angry? He always tried to obey her over his father or Lola, and he always understood that she had to be tough on him because otherwise they would think she was weak, and weakness was unacceptable in their world. He asked himself what he had done wrong and why his mother though this was the punishment he deserved, eventually the agony was so bad that he passed out, the last thing he saw as he fainted was the blurred outline of his mother’s face.

 

When he woke up next time, he was back in his room and there was a strange figure looming over him, he moved away from it as far as his bed would allow before the blurry shadow tried to calm him down.

 

“It’s ok Nathaniel, I don’t want to hurt you, I just need to check your eyes again ok?”

His eyes? Oh, right. His mom had dropped that cleaning thing in his eyes, it had burned a lot, but now it felt a bit better, though his eyes still ached like when he accidentally poured chili in his eyes that one time and everything looked blurry and undefined, like looking at the mirror when it’s full of steam from a hot shower, he couldn’t make out any details for anything.

 

The doctor sat down in a chair close to his bed and coaxed him to turn around his way, the doctor had latex gloves on -or else was chalky pale, Abram couldn’t really make it out- and used his hands to pry his eyes further open, he made Abram’s eyes follow his finger, but it was tough with how dim the lights were and the fact he somehow managed to make it disappear from his peripheral vision, he then shone a light at his eyes, though it didn’t bother him because it wasn’t very shiny, he asked the doctor if maybe he should change the batteries before he used it again, especially because when he switched it to his other eye, the light dimmed even more, the doctor asked him a few questions about how he was doing with the pain in his eyes and the blurriness, he applied some kind of ointment medicine all around his eyes and the bridge of his nose, as well as his cheeks -for the burns, he said- before walking out to talk with his parents.

The doctor didn’t close the door correctly, because he still managed to overhear what he was saying, though he couldn’t really understand most of it. He heard things like ‘corneal damage’ ‘pupils not properly reacting to light’ ‘scar tissue’ and also ‘development of glaucoma and cataracts overtime’ he scolded someone for taking too long to call him and said that whatever he was talking about was ‘irreversible’ and just a matter of days, weeks at most, then he heard his father’s voice. It sounded cold and restrained, he told the doctor he understood and made it very clear that he could speak of what he’d seen to no one.

 

“I got it sir, you do not need to remind me” the doctor said, sounding frightened.

 

“Just making sure we’re clear about your situation doctor, but regardless,I _am_ thankful for your services”

 

They discussed payment and the doctor was alarmed at the huge amount of money he was given for what he said was a ‘consult’ but then stopped protesting when it was made clear that the money was also paying for his ‘amnesia’ and then Abram was lost with bigger words and veiled threats, until eventually one of his father’s men led the doctor away.

 

It was until he left that his father spoke again, and he realized that his mother was there, because he addressed her with a snarl.

 

“You must be so happy now, you _fucking_ whore” he hissed, making Abram recoil in fear, even though that deep fury wasn’t directed at him this time.

 

His mother’s voice was cool and even “I warned you I would never allow you to use my son as a bargaining chip for your business.”

 

“I thought you didn’t want _junior_ , to inherit the family business. That was another way for him to be useful and make profit for The Lord.”

 

“You wanted to buy _yourself_ a looser leash” she hissed “But you will never be anything but a feral dog. If you thought I would let you use my only child for that, then you vastly underestimated me”

 

Nathan laughed “That makes _you_ the stupidest bitch I’ve ever met, and let me tell you, you’ve underestimated me too. If you would rather make your whelp into a blind freak instead of turn him over to the family to be trained to be useful in the only way he showed any promise, then you don’t understand what you’ve potentially cost me!”

 

“I understand it _perfectly_ ” his mother laughed “which is why I did it. I’ll enjoy seeing you explain it to The Master, how he won’t get his newest little puppet for that freak show of his! You heard the doctor, the damage is permanent, he won’t _ever_ go with them”

His father chuckled darkly, and then there was the sound of a heavy impact and his mother gasped.

 

“Oh, I will explain all right, but not just to The Master, who do you think let him accept that little deal we had? The main branch will get involved, and I will have to discipline you for costing us all so much. And I know _just_ what to do. If little junior can’t be a useful child to _me_ then I would much prefer it that we don’t have a son at _all_. Lola will have a blast when I tell her.”

 

“You wouldn’t-” his mother started, but Nathan cut her off.

 

“You know very well that I would, and I will, as soon as I have the verdict from the main branch, maybe you should start praying _they_ can use him for something, even as entertainment, I hear young boys are the rage in some circles, but if no one there has any interest in him, then you can kiss him goodbye.”

 

His father didn’t say anything else and he heard his footsteps grow more and more distant, eventually he heard his mother turn the doorknob to his room, and he sank as far into the bed as he could, burying his face into the blankets, he didn’t understand what was happening or what his father planned to do with him, all he understood was that his world was dim and blurry and unfocused, and from what little he figured out, it would just keep getting darker and darker.

 

 _Blind_. His father said he was blind or would be in a short time. And he knew that it was from whatever his mother had poured into his eyes. But hadn’t that been for being bad? For misbehaving? Just a punishment that would pass? But now it was ‘permanent’ and 'irreversible' -whatever that meant- he wasn’t useful and father didn’t want him around anymore? He wanted mom to kiss him goodbye if no one else wanted him…where would father send him?

 

_‘Why? Why? Why?’_

 

Why had his mom done this to him? Now they would be separated and he wouldn’t see her anymore. Abram was so scared and uncertain and he didn’t want to see mom right now, she had done this and told him he would thank her later, but now he wasn’t so sure about that.

 

Then he realized something else. Blind people couldn’t play exy, it was a sport with very restricting rules. He would never be able to make court and use his money and fame to get them both away from Nathan, he would never set his mother free or see her walk to him and hug to whisper how proud she was into his ear as she hugged him.

 

 _That_ was when his whole world crumbled like a sandcastle against the waves and he started sobbing and hiccupping, trying to stay silent as he heard his mother approach his bed and failing miserably. He felt her sit next to his pillow and then she carded her fingers into his hair.

 

“Stop crying” She said “We have to get ready.”

 

But Abram didn’t want to do anything right now. He just wanted his mom to go away and let him cry for a little while, but it was not to be, he just hoped she would let him rest a little later, he felt _so_ tired.

 

But rest was far from Mary Hatford’s mind, as she looked at her disoriented, devastated child, a plan was already forming in her mind.

 

Nathan Wensninski would _not_ take her son away from her, and if he thought she would just stand by and let him and Abram over to his meat carver turned mistress, then the bastard clearly didn’t know who _she_ was.

 

They would run. And he would never find them. 


	2. Pursuits and realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Abram have been on the run for months when a figure from the past catches up with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! here's chapter 2, sorry for the wait. Motivation has been running low these days, not completely satisfied, but I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer. Let me know what you think! And as always, if you have a prompt or a comment, you can reach out to me on my tumblr: headbanging-nightrunner.

 

They ran in the cover of night. Leaving behind the huge house in Baltimore and all its lies.

 

Abram didn’t understand why his mother had sneaked into his bedroom in the dark and helped him fold all the clothes that would fit into a duffel bag. But then she told him, Nathan had left earlier that day on an urgent, very secret job and he would be gone for several days, it was their only opportunity, so he had to hurry and pack.

 

He had tried to do it by himself, but with the blurriness in his eyes and the lack of light, he couldn’t really tell his fancy clothes from the less conspicuous ones, and his mother took the work out of his hands in frustration. 

 

She helped him out of his night clothes and dressed him in several layers -it was only autumn, but the temperatures could still get quite low at night- and before long, she used the straps in his bag to tie it to his body so that it wouldn’t fall.

 

“Never take it off” his mother whispered, “I’ve put some things in there that will help us, you cannot lose it, understood?” 

 

He nodded quickly, unwilling to ever go against his mother’s wishes, he might not fully grasp their situation just yet, but he knew that they were running from his father. They were going away because his mom didn’t want him to be taken from her. He didn’t want to be separated from her either.

 

When he tripped over a hazy blur in the floor -which he realized were his shoes once he had them an inch from his face- and then painfully hit his knee with the corner of his bed frame, he heard his mother grunt in frustration before she picked him up in her arms.

 

“You will get us caught before we even make it out of the house!” His mom hissed into his ear “Hold on to that bag and do not make a noise Abram, I mean it!”

 

She arranged his pillows and some shirts to make the bed seem occupied, then, silent as the grave, she exited the room, closing the door and jamming the keyhole from the outside. She made quick work of the numerous hallways and staircases in their big, fancy house and with a stealth and silence that amazed Abram, they reached an old garage that no one used anymore and snuck out through its back door.

 

Once they hit the road and managed to get hold of a car, his mother finally set him down. He managed to fasten his seatbelt without assistance and remained quiet, knowing that his mom would tell him what she planned once she considered it safe.

 

They drove in silence for some time, until his mother turned towards him to say that they had crossed the Maryland State border and were now in Virginia.

 

“We’ll need to find a place to stay for the night,” she told him and then said nothing else for a while.

 

That was their routine for many months. They would hotwire a car, drive across different state lines in roundabout ways and sleep in shabby motels that took cash-only payments or look for abandoned homes where they would huddle together in a single mattress.

 

Abram could tell that his mother had tried to be understanding with him, but as his vision deteriorated; so did her patience for his growing limitations. At first, it had been small things, like being unable to help her read maps as he sat in the copilot seat while she drove, even when he had the paper an inch from his face. As time passed, Abram realized that he was able to perceive less and less color and the blurriness became more pronounced, to the point where he couldn’t even distinguish the words in the huge billboards and road signs he had been able to read with little to no trouble when their journey began.

 

His mom would only huff in annoyance and take the map out of his hands at first, grumbling to herself about forgetting he couldn’t help with that anymore, but then he started to make worse and worse mistakes, and he could tell that it was taking a toll in his mom’s temper.

 

There had been an incident once when they stopped at a gas station. They had been driving for over ten hours and the tank was down to the reserve, so they had needed to pull over to fill the tank, he had told his mother that he needed to use the bathroom badly, and she had grudgingly agreed, but then he had awkwardly explained that this was a one time stop, so he had no clue how to navigate the space and needed her help. 

 

“It’s like having a baby again” she growled, using too much force as she helped him navigate the station to reach the bathroom, he didn’t need much help beyond that, but his mom had remained silent for a while after they left the station, and slammed her hand harshly into the dashboard lighter whenever he tried to address her.

 

“Stay quiet” she would tell him “I’m sure you can at least do that” 

He understood that his new limitations were a liability on the run, whenever he tripped or stumbled, he was costing them valuable moments that could give their pursuers an advantage if they were hot on their trail, he had asked his mother once, if it wouldn’t be easier for him to get a cane and learn how to use it, she had not liked that idea.

 

“We are supposed to go unnoticed” she had growled “How much do you think a walking stick would make you stand out? It would be quicker to just paint a target on our backs”

 

“But don’t I stand out more, tripping and running into people all the time?” Abram protested, but his mother would hear none of it, she said it was bad enough that he had to keep his eyes closed most of the time because of how ‘creepy’ they looked when he opened them, standing out more was out of the question.

 

She bought him a pair of cheap reading glasses at a dollar store and told him to not take them off since they would help cover his eyes from stranger’s looks, but even that was little help.

 

But the worst happened after six months on the run. Abram knew vaguely that they had crossed the Oregon-California border a couple of weeks prior, but not much else, after his slip-ups got more and more constant, his mother seemed unable to talk to him for more than a few minutes a day, mostly to snap remarks about their environment so that he wouldn’t have any more accidents.

 

That particular day though, she seemed anxious and jumpy, but she still wouldn’t say much to him. She woke him up early and told him to get in the care and they drove, for what felt like hours -though his mom told him they hadn’t even left the city- and then they parked at a crowded indoor mall.

 

“What are we doing here?” he asked, turning in the direction his mother’s breathing came from. 

 

“His men have been following us. We need to lose them, they would never think we would come to  one of the biggest malls in California, so we’re going to go inside, buy some time and try to lose our tails in the mess that’s inside”

 

Abram said nothing, but he was hesitant about the plan, if the place was really as big as his mom implied, then a lot of things could go wrong. What if they got split up? What if their tails caught up to them? He had no way of knowing who they were or where to go to get away from them, so the chance that he could screw this up was so big, it made him feel a bit queasy…

 

“I’m not sure I can do it…” Abram told her sincerely, voice quivering slightly with his apprehension.

 

His mother huffed out an exasperated breath “I’m not asking you, I am telling you what we’re going to do, and you better try your best not to mess up”

 

Without another word, she grabbed one of his arms with a bit too much strength and dragged him into the mall. He was taken aback when a wall of cool air from the AC slammed into him, it took a moment to get used to it, after being outside in the dry heat that had him sweating as soon as he had stepped out of the shower earlier in the morning.

 

He let his mom guide him through the crowded halls and corridors, but she wasn’t precisely gentle, so he still bumped into people here and there, and every time he would try to shout an apology to them, his mom would grip his arm with even more force, until he was wincing in pain.

 

“Stop calling attention to yourself!” she hissed.

 

“But I’m the one stumbling into them, I should at least say sorry”

 

She growled and pulled him forward so brusquely, he thought his arm might fall off, he slammed into her body and she circled an arm around him, pulling his weight up a flight of stair instead of guiding him so that he could climb it himself.

 

“How many times have I told you, we need to go unnoticed!”

 

“I know but-”

 

“But nothing, do as I say or I will give you something to be sorry for later”

 

Abram shuddered, his mom had punished him once or twice back in Baltimore, but he had always preferred her hands hitting him instead of his father’s because her beatings had been easier to bear and she often tried to show there was a reasoning behind them.

 

But that was before they ran away,now, every mistake meant a beating that left him a crying mess and unable to get up from bed for a few hours, but her lessons did sink in ‘don’t speak’ ‘stay close to me’ ‘keep your head down’ and most importantly ‘stop messing up’ the last one was still a work in progress, but he was honestly trying.

 

She shoved him down unto a chair and then took his face in her hands so he was facing her.

 

“I’ll go take care of them, you stay here,” she said, taking his hand and placing a folded piece of paper in it, going by the texture of it, Neil assumed it was a bill.

 

“Here's ten dollars,” she said, confirming Abram’s guess “If you turn around and walk in a straight line, you’ll reach the McDonald’s booth, you can buy your usual there if you get hungry”

 

Abram felt trepidation at the concept of having to walk around such a crowded place alone, much less having to order food by himself, but he nodded anyway, he could hold on if he got hungry, they had gone hungry for long stretches of time before. He nodded to let his mom know he understood.

 

She patted his shoulder in farewell and turned away, he was able to distinguish her footsteps for a short while, before they were drowned out by the clicking of heels and dragging feet of the huge crowd around them.

 

Abram felt confused, he still wasn’t used to the new shift in his world after losing his sight, sounds had taken a new sharpness and could easily overwhelm him if they were too loud or high pitched, right now, it was the mixture of so many different voices, footsteps, crying and music in an enclosed space that was making his head start to throb. He rested his head in the crook of his arms and slumped on the table for a while, not moving from the spot his mom had chosen for him.

 

Eventually, he did get hungry, but it wasn’t that difficult to ignore if he focused on his headache, which had taken a turn for the worst when a family with a crying baby sat down at the table next to him and the high-pitched wailing sent renewed stabs of pain into his head, to the point that his eyes and forehead felt hot and throbbed in conjunction with his heartbeat.

 

He felt himself start to doze off, and he tried to fight against the sleepiness for a bit, but the pain in his head was not helping him in his attempt. He knew what would happen if his mom came back and found him asleep on a table, but for weeks now he had trouble sleeping when he and his mom went to bed at night, and then he would feel drowsy and exhausted during the day, needing to nap while they drove for their next destination, being abruptly woken up when his mom pinched his arm and berated him for not being alert enough.

 

Against his better judgment, he eventually did drift off to sleep on the food court’s table, dreaming of nothing at all as his mother dealt with their pursuers.

 

At least, most of them.

 

As luck would have it, Lola Malcolm had joined this particular round of pursuers and had managed to skillfully sneak away from Mary Hatfords confrontation to look for Abram directly and get rid of that particular, useless loose end, per Nathan’s command.

 

Abram never heard the clicking of her approaching footsteps, or realized that she had knelt in front of him, he kept on sleeping, curved into himself while hugging his duffel bag.

 

“Wakey, wakey Nathaniel, time to get going” Lola cooed, combing her hands through the boy’s red curls in a mockery of affection.

 

He scrunched his eyes and mumbled something, turning his head away from the voice, she shook him hard and tried again.

 

“Now now, sleepyhead, what have we taught about wasting the adults time?”

 

This time, the voice finally pierced through the thick veil of sleep in Abram’s mind and once he recognized it as Lola’s, he flinched and recoiled from her touch, falling off his chair and tumbling to the floor.

 

“L-Lola, what-” Abram asked, words slightly slurred with sleep.

 

“ What do you think?” she asked cheerily “Your daddy sent me here to pick you up.”

 

“My mom-” he wondered aloud, suddenly scared for what could have happened to her, if Lola had managed to find him.

 

“She’s a little busy at the moment,” Lola said taking his arm to pull him up to his feet. “So, I’m going to take you back to your father myself.”

 

He turned from her and tried to pry her hand off his arm to run, but she seemed to realize what he was trying to do and held on with a bruising grip.

“Don’t try my patience you annoying brat” she hissed “Come with me without any fuss or your whore mother’s going to get it. She’s decent enough that she can get rid of those amateurs she tracked, but she can’t do anything against me”

 

Abram gulped, he had to lose Lola before she could drag him back to Baltimore, but he feared that his mother might truly be in danger if he put up a fight against her. He felt a lump form in his throat as panic set in his mind, he didn’t know what to do. He was alone in a strange, mind-boggling environment, he had a throbbing headache and had nowhere to run.

 

Submerged as he was in this daze of panic, confusion, and pain, it was a while before he became aware of the fact that Lola was already dragging him away, in no particular direction that Abram could make out. At first he didn’t fight it, not wanting to make any fuss that might call attention from onlookers, but as soon as they reached an area that seemed to him to be less crowded -there were far fewer voices and footsteps around- he put all the force he had into stepping on one of Lola’s feet -which he managed on his first try thanks to the heavy shoes she wore and how loud they made her footsteps sound- she hissed in surprise and loosened her grip enough for him to pull away. He started running as soon as he was free, with as much speed as his short legs would allow, he didn’t really know in what direction he was going, but he needed to put as much distance as he could between them.

 

He succeeded for a short while until he reached a flight of stairs he hadn’t expected and tripped on the top of them, tumbling down a couple of steps before falling in a pained heap at the bottom of the staircase. Lola caught up with him in an instant and picked him up in her arms, embracing him in a way that left him breathless. He heard murmurs of concern on his behalf and a high-pitched, girly voice asked if he was all right.

 

“He’s fine” Lola snapped, resuming her walk with Abram in her arms, ignoring any further protests or worried suggestions from the concerned crowd. She walked until they reached one of the exits, the gust of warm air hitting Abram like a truck,  the blazing sun burnt the back of his neck and in an instant, he started to sweat again, he squirmed and fought, trying to pry himself free of the prison of Lola’s arms with no success, the more he fought the harder she held onto him, to the point where his chest felt heavy, his ribs hurt and he started to feel dizzy with a lack of air.

 

“Stop being so difficult Nathaniel, we have a long ride ahead of us. Your dad has been moving heaven and earth to find you, and I’d hate to make him wait any longer.”

 

She stopped suddenly and removed one arm from around him, adding even more strength to the one that still held onto him, Abram heard her reach for something that made a faint jingling sound and then there was a click -it must have been the alarm remote of a car- then there was the familiar pop of a car trunk opening.

 

Abram froze with fear. If Lola really was planning what he thought, he needed to get away  _ now,  _ If she managed to shove him in there, it would all be over for him. There was no way he could escape from a moving car, especially when he was stuck in the trunk and even if by some miracle, he managed to feel his way around enough to crack it open, where exactly would he run, if he couldn’t see which way they were going?

 

He renewed his struggle with newfound vigor, swinging his arms and kicking his feet wildly as he tried to wiggle free until finally, one of his hits connected, making Lola gasp in pain though she didn’t let go of him.

 

The sound of approaching footsteps gave Abram what might be his only window of opportunity, he shrieked as loud as he could while he struggled, making a show of screaming at her.

 

“Let go of me!” he bellowed “You’re not my mom! Let me go!”

 

As the strange steps grew closer and closer, Lola cursed, confirming that whoever was approaching, was not part of his father’s search party.

 

“Help!” Abram screamed, as Lola brusquely tried to shove him into the car with so much force that he hit his head on the edge of the trunks lid, but the pain seemed worth it when he heard a man scream very close to them.

 

“What the hell is goin’ on here?!” The strangers booming voice asked as he charged toward them, colliding with Lola and shoving her to the ground, forcing her to finally release Abram who collapsed bonelessly for a moment, half his body in the trunk while the tips of his feet barely reached the ground, he recovered quickly and pulled away from the car, calling out towards the general direction of his savior.

 

“Help me, please. She was trying to take me away!”

 

The man grunted and there was the sound of further struggle as Lola fought and cursed, the stranger gasped and there was the sound of a sharp intake of breath and a loud thud, Abram braced himself to run, fearing that Lola had managed to get the best of his savior, but it was the man who finally broke the silence.

 

“It’s ok now kid. Bitch was tryin’ to gut me with a fuckin’ knife, but this ain’t my first fight ya know? You all right?” 

 

Abram nodded, flexing his arms and legs to check for damage. He was sore all around, in his headache was so intense now that he felt like crying, but other than that he was fine.

 

He heard the stranger approach him, noticed the crunch of his feet on the gravel and the rustle of his clothes as he knelt close to him.

 

“Need help Lil’ man?” the man offered, followed by a stretched period of silence.

 

“C’mon kiddo, don’t leave me hangin’ here”

 

“I’m fine,” Abram said, turning to where he thought the man to be, the stranger gasped and cursed.

 

“Are you blind, kid?”

 

Abram didn’t answer, standing up and dusting off the knees of his worn jeans, as he further inspected himself, he realized that he had lost his glasses in the struggle with Lola. Well, there wasn’t any point in trying to look for them, that would just waste time and she might wake up, his mom would probably get angry about having to buy another pair for him, but that would be a single drop in the ocean compared to what she would do to him for allowing Lola to get her hands on him.

 

He was brought out of his thoughts when the man addressed him again.

 

“God, you really can’t see, huh?”

 

“H-how do you know?” Abram asked apprehensively.

 

“Dude, I’ve been extending my hand to ya for a while now, also, you’re lookin’ at the wrong place”

 

“Oh.” That was embarrassing, but he didn’t really have time to feel awkward about another mess up, he needed to go back into the mall and find his mom.

 

“Thanks for helping me,” Abram said shyly, not sure of what else to do.

 

“No prob, anything I can do for you?” the man asked in his deep, booming voice.

 

“I need to go back inside and find my mom”

 

“We better get you inside quick, then” the stranger replied, taking hold of his arm as he started to walk. Abram wanted to flinch away from the touch, but it would be easier to go back with the man’s help.

 

“Your ma must be very worried about you,” he said, obviously trying to start a conversation, probably thinking it would help calm him down.

 

Abram only shrugged, unwilling to say anything that might call even more attention to himself.

 

“Did you know the mean lady that tried to kidnap you?”

 

Abram shook his head.

 

“Once we find your ma we’ll have to call the authorities. If that chick managed to get you out of the mall unnoticed, who knows what else that sort might try to do.”

Once again, Abram didn’t reply, afraid that any response might give too much away.

 

He shivered involuntarily once the cold air of the AC hit him when they were back inside. He didn’t want to talk to the stranger more than necessary, but he probably should at least tell him where he needed to go.

 

“Mom left me at the food court while she went back to buy something. She’s probably there waiting for me”

 

“Sorry kid, but I need to take you to security to tell them what happened and take care of you while they deal with that lady”

 

Abram panicked. It was bad enough that he’d gotten caught, but he called more attention to himself by involving security or even the police? It was as good as calling his father and giving him an actual address, he couldn’t let that happen.

 

He stopped walking and planted his feet on the ground, but that didn’t really help, since he kept advancing has his feet dragged across the floor, this man was really strong then, or he was lighter than he liked to admit.

 

The man tried to use a soothing voice to calm him, even though Abram didn’t  _ need  _ calming, he was fine.

 

“You’ll be safe there kid, I promise. You just can’t stay unsupervised after what happened to you, that lady might have other people with her”

 

He tried to struggle to no avail, then he asked the man to just stay with him at the food court, even if that would make his mother angry; though at this point there wasn’t any situation where she wouldn’t be angry at him, but at least it would be the lesser evil.

 

“I know you’re scared, I would be too, especially with your disability but-”

 

“I’m fine!” Abram insisted, but the man would have none of it.

 

“Of course you are, such a brave Lil’ man. But I still need to report this to some kind of authority, and you need to be under supervision until your mom comes for you”

 

That was how Abram eventually found himself dragged to what  _ had _ to be an office, what with the uncomfortable plastic chair, the smell of coffee, and the constant ringing of a telephone. At least there were no people screaming, which helped his headache a little bit.

 

After the man introduced himself to whom Abram assumed were the guards, he relied how he had been on the way to get something he forgot from his car, when he saw a woman trying to shove a small child into the trunk of a car. He told them how the boy had been screaming and thrashing for all he was worth while calling for help, so he didn’t think twice before he tackled the woman to the ground. They struggled and she somehow managed to pull a knife from a sleeve -or at least it seemed like her sleeve- and he managed to knock her unconscious by hitting her head against the pavement before she could stab him.

 

“I ain’t sorry,” the man said, sounding agitated “But I hope I didn’t kill her or anythin’ I was just defending myself, and tryin’ to get the kid away, that’s why I left her there, to make sure this lil’ dude made it out ok.”

 

The guards assured the man that there would be no legal consequences against him since he was obviously defending himself as well as a young child, there were some more questions and then a lady approached to fuss over him.

 

“Are you ok, honey?” she cooed, ruffling his hair, he felt one of her hands touch his arm and then there was a pause before the man spoke again.

 

“You have to tell him what you’re doin’ miss, he can’t see”

 

That prompted even more cooing, and then the lady took one of his hands and placed a napkin with something sugary and round in his hand. Probably a donut.

 

“Do you want juicy, sweetie? Or water? Maybe I should go buy you a milkshake! You’re such a brave boy!”

 

“I’m ok” Abram insisted “I need my mom”

 

“Don’t worry dear, we’re going to announce it over the intercom right away, but first we need to get those scrapes cleaned up. That monster banged you up quite a bit, we don’t want your mom to see you like that, do we?”

 

Abram hated being treated like a baby, it made him feel awkward and useless, but this lady wasn’t taking no for an answer, she fussed around him until he finished eating the donut, and then she walked away for a few seconds, saying that she needed to go for the first-aid kit to treat his cuts and scrapes, she rubbed them with something that stung horribly and smelled really bad, but he managed not to cry. All the while she would describe everything she was doing in a loud and slow voice, exaggerating her enunciation. Because apparently for some adults, blind was equivalent with stupid

 

Once the woman was satisfied, she rubbed his head and walked away but he wasn’t left alone too long, the stranger came back along with one of the security guards, who asked him a few questions.

 

“What’s your name kid?” 

 

“Chris,” he said since that was the one he was using right then.

 

“How old are you, Chris?” 

 

“I’m 10,” he said, realizing too late that he had given his real age, he was dazed and tired, and his headache just wouldn’t go away, so he slipped up, though at this point it didn’t really matter anymore.

 

“What’s your mom’s name, Chris?” 

 

Abram groaned. He knew his mom had told him her current name, he  _ knew  _ it, but the throbbing in his head made thinking so hard! What had his mom said to call her? It started with an M, like her real name, but he couldn’t remember.

 

“Are you ok?” the guard asked, worry coloring his voice.

 

“My head hurts” he admitted, hoping that it would distract them from asking him more questions.

 

“Poor thing,” the woman from before said, then left to fetch him something for the pain, she came back quickly and opened his palm, placing a small pill in it and handing him a styrofoam cup.

 

“Here you go, dear. It’s just aspirin and a bit of apple juice to wash it down, it should help a bit”

 

He swallowed the pill and drank the juice in a single swallow, and when he tried to fell around to put the cup down, the lady stepped up and took it from him.

 

“I’ll take care of that, try and answer the guard's questions ok? That way we can find your mom faster, she must be worried sick about you”

 

Abram simply nodded, hoping to get this disaster over with. The guard asked for his mother’s name again, and at least he was able to remember her current alias.

 

“Miriam” he said, not giving a last name and saying that he didn’t remember it when he was asked, the guard tried to pry more information out of him about his mother’s appearance and height, and other nonsense, but Abram kept to his ‘I don’t know’ and ‘can’t remember’ excuses or just groaned and complained about how much his head hurt -even though the pain had actually gotten better- until the lady from before came to his rescue.

 

“Stop crowding the poor sweetheart Jeff, just announce him with what we have. How many blind ten-year-olds could there be at this mall?”

 

Apparently-Jeff grunted “I’m just trying to be as thorough as possible. Don’t want him to be taken by the wrong person again”

 

“ I know what my mom’s voice sounds like” Abram huffed impatiently.

 

The guard apologized good-naturedly, apparently realizing that he had made him angry, but not caring too much about it.

 

Finally, he was announced through the intercom, and Abram could only brace himself for when his mother arrived.

 

“Customers, your attention, please. We are looking for the mother of a ten-year-old child. Responds to the name Chris, about 4’10” in height and 80 pounds in weight, he has red hair and is currently wearing a dark gray hoodie, faded light-blue jeans, and black sneakers. If you have lost a child that matches this description, please reach out to us at the security office located on our third floor, Sagewood Shopping Centre thanks you for your attention and wishes you an excellent day.”

 

The message was repeated a couple more times and then there was nothing more to do but wait, which made Abram fidget in his uncomfortable chair, trying not to let the dread and panic he felt get the best of him.

 

Too soon for Abram’s liking, he heard running footsteps approaching from the hall, and then his mother was shouting his newest name.

 

“Chris!” she screamed, causing him to quiver in fear “What happened?! Why the hell weren’t you where I left you?!”

 

“Ma’am please calm down” the guard prompted, trying to sound soothing “A customer brought him here after an unknown woman attempted to kidnap him”

 

“What?” 

 

She sounded breathless and angry. Abram couldn’t imagine how tired she must be, after so many days on the road with barely any sleep. This should have been their respite, and instead, she had fought a group of pursuers by herself and then came back to his worst mess-up ever, the consequences that awaited him would likely be terrible.

 

“As I was saying” the guard continued “A woman attempted to abduct this boy. A customer on his way out saw her trying to shove him into the trunk of a car as he struggled and decided to intervene. He thought it best to bring him to us for safety and we have treated his wounds, just some minors scratches and scrapes and most likely some nasty bruises in a little while, but he should be all right. Unfortunately, by the time we were informed of this issue and tried to have this woman apprehended, she had run away, but your son is safe now”

 

“Good” his mom bit out “Then we’re getting out of here”

 

Abram heard her trying to approach, but something must have stopped her because she didn’t reach him.

 

“We’re sorry to do this ma’am,” The overbearing, fussing woman said “But after recent events, we can’t let you take him without first verifying that you really are who you say”

“She really is my mom” Abram confirmed, unwilling to drag this out any more.

 

“Well, all right. That’s one thing, but can we ask you a couple of questions” the security guard asked.

 

“That’s fine” his mother hissed, not sounding fine at all.

 

“What’s your name? Your son already told us that”

 

“I’m Miriam. Josten” she replied.  _ Josten _ , that’s right, that was supposed to be their last name for this part of their trip. He mentally kicked himself.

 

“Chris is short for what?”

 

“Christopher” his mom responded. And he was glad that at least he didn’t mess that answer up.

 

“And does Christopher have any distinguishing feature?”

 

“He’s blind” she hissed.

 

Once the guard and the woman were satisfied, they allowed his mother to reunite with him. She pulled him out of his chair by the arm and for a moment Abram feared she might break it with the strength of her hold, she put both arms around him, in a very uncomfortable but thankfully short imitation of a hug -likely for the sake of appearances- before she turned them around and started walking.

 

“Ma’am, wait! The police are on their way for you to file a report!”

 

“No need, we’re not from around here”

 

“I insist,” the guard told her “It’s not safe to have a child kidnapper free”

 

His mother’s clipped replied was filled with hostility “We’re leaving the city and have no time for this nonsense, besides, it’s not like my son can describe her”

 

It was the overbearing woman’s turn to speak “we have her description thanks to  the man who saved your son”

 

“Then you don’t need me to file your stupid report” his mom spit out, guiding him out fast enough to block further protests from the worried security workers.

 

Neither of them uttered a word as they left the mall or when they crossed the parking lot. His mom opened a car’s door and shoved him inside forcefully, before buckling his seat belt and slamming the door with enough force to make the window rattle. Abram discovered that this was not the same car they arrived in thanks to the strong smell of air freshener and spices. He didn’t dare talk as his mom got into the vehicle since the noises coming from beside him hinted that she was hot-wiring it so that they could leave.

 

They drove away and the silence continued. Abram really wanted to sleep, he felt drained and heavy, and he thought that a short nap might even help his headache, but falling asleep was what got him in this mess in the first place, and he didn’t want to risk it with his mom radiating anger beside him. 

 

When he thought that enough time had passed and he couldn’t bear the silence anymore, he opened his mouth and tried to apologize.

 

“I’m so-” he wasn’t allowed to finish before his mother backhanded him so hard, his head collided with the glass.

 

“Shut. _ Up. _ ” His mother barked “You only had to stay put and wait for me. I told you never to call attention to yourself, and what did you do?!”

 

“I know, but-”

 

“Shut the hell up,  _ Nathaniel _ !”

 

Abram gasped. She never called him by that name. He had always been Abram to her, she said that she had given him that name so that he never forgot he was someone different from his father so that he always remembered that he was not just  _ junior  _ or  _ Nathan’s son _ . She called him Abram so that no one would ever forget that he was hers. His mother had never called him Nathaniel.

 

Until today, and somehow he found her use of that name even scarier than any beating because it meant that right now, she only saw him as the butcher’s son.

 

“Who was it?” she asked in a low, barely restrained voice.

 

“Lola”

 

She cursed low and then said nothing for a while.

 

“Don’t speak” she told him “Not a word, I’m not in the mood for your excuses right now. That little stunt you pulled cost us enough, you know better than to let your guard down like that”

 

He nodded in silence, unwilling to anger her anymore.

 

“We’ll talk later. When it’s safe”

 

He nodded again, all his aches and pains lulling him into a light doze, when his mom didn’t shake him awake or punish him for letting his guard down, he allowed himself to finally,  _ finally  _ get some sleep.

 

Mary Hatford stopped at a red light and turned to look down at her son, who slept on, unaware of the resolution slowly forming in his mother’s mind. Today she had realized that they couldn’t go on like this much longer. She had tried to be patient, to give him time to adapt, but time and again Abram proved to be nothing but a liability for both their survivals. He wasn’t fit for a life on the run, and another mistake like this could mean their lives. She had taken him away from Nathan because she felt that was her duty as a mother, but she did not want to get killed because her son couldn’t keep up.

 

As she drove into the city of Oakland, Mary reached a resolution. For both their sakes, they would have to go their separate ways. She would hide Abram in plain sight, and if he managed to listen for  _ once _ , then not even The Butcher would be able to find him.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
